BEARS ADD 2ND TEAM D2 JUCO AA

[BEARZ77]

Hadn't seen this posted yet; was out of town for about 10 days. In response to rs Frosh Greg Boogie Williams continued medical issues , the Bears moved to add depth at the guard spot with the late commitment of 6'2 PG, James Byrd from Penn Valley. Byrd was a D-2 Juco 2nd Team All-American, averaging 19.4 ppg, shooting 42 % from 3pt and averaging 5.1 assists per game. He played his freshman juco year at Seward .

Williams status remains unclear as he has had complications from multiple surgeries and related infections dating back to his last year in prep school. He's doubtful for the coming year after a rs year as a freshman last season. Unfortunate for the young man as Bears fans have been anxious to see if he could play up to his former top 100-150 ranking. However, Bears seem to have gotten a solid late pick up in Byrd. The Bears remain in good order in the backcourt with the return of pg Ronnie Rousseau, juniors Dixon and Kreklow, grad transfer JT Miller, freshman Mustafa Lawrence and now Byrd.

[Blers]

Wow that sucks to hear about Williams, is there an expectation he'll ever play again?

Good pickup though! Honestly kinda shocked anyone like that was still available

[BEARZ77]

Wow that sucks to hear about Williams, is there an expectation he'll ever play again?

Good pickup though! Honestly kinda shocked anyone like that was still available

Hard to say on Williams at this point; the problems aren't with things like a knee or joint, he just seems to have a bad immune system and doesn't do well post surgery, but details have been pretty scarce.

As far as Byrd, obviously being available this late suggests he wasn't highly coveted, yet his stats and awards suggest a decent prospect. I understand at least at this point he is a walk-on, but not sure if there are some options there still to be determined. Either way, helps with depth, not needing him to be challenging for a top 5-8 rotation, but if he does, great.